VATICAN CITY -- If the Catholic Church did more to recognize and promote women's responsibility within the church, it could help their status in societies as well, said the Synod of Bishops on the family.More ...Tuesday, October 27, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- While they did not grab headlines, the elderly and people with disabilities, openness to life and the plight of migrants and refugees were also on the agenda of the Synod of Bishops on the family.More ...Monday, October 26, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- While not specifically mentioning the controversial proposal of a path toward full reconciliation and Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried, members of the Synod of Bishops on the family handed Pope Francis a report emphasizing an obligation to recognize that not all Catholics in such a situation bear the same amount of blame.More ...Saturday, October 24, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- Basic principles of human dignity are being violated repeatedly in the Middle East as conflict continues, particularly in Syria and Iraq, but also in Jerusalem and other areas of the Holy Land, said members of the Synod of Bishops on the family.More ...Saturday, October 24, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- Several hours before the final report of the Synod of Bishops was put to a vote, two U.S. bishops said that what is new is not the church's message, but the synod's emphasis and attitude toward the role of the family in the modern world.More ...Saturday, October 24, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- The first task of the Catholic Church "is not to hand down condemnations or anathemas, but to proclaim the mercy of God," Pope Francis told members of the Synod of Bishops on the family.More ...Saturday, October 24, 2015

The goal of the Synod drafting commission was to compile a text that would represent all the different concerns and opinions expressed during the synod as well as create "a text which would give a pastoral direction acceptable to everybody," Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai told reporters.More ...Friday, October 23, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- Marking the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis outlined his vision for a church that is "synodal" at every level, with everyone listening to one another, learning from one another and taking responsibility for proclaiming the Gospel.More ...Thursday, October 22, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- Two of the 13 final small-group reports of the Synod of Bishops for the family contained apologies: one for ways in which a lack of pastoral care may have contributed to the breakdown of marriages and one for "harsh and merciless" attitudes toward unwed mothers and their children, the divorced and homosexuals.More ...Thursday, October 22, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- After nearly three weeks of intense discussion and debate, the Synod of Bishop's final document on the family was not expected to have any hard-hitting answers, a member of the drafting commission said.More ...Thursday, October 22, 2015

HEGYESHALOM, Hungary -- Along the border between Hungary and Austria, Rosala Holzschuh stands in the midnight darkness as thousands of refugees flow past her on their way toward Western Europe. More ...Thursday, October 22, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- The reforms to the annulment process introduced by Pope Francis serve only to avoid delays in cases where marriages are clearly not valid, two synod fathers said.More ...Wednesday, October 21, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- The Synod of Bishops on the family is not being manipulated, rather the distortion rests in how it is being depicted or seen by a number of people, said Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington.More ...Tuesday, October 20, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- Marking the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis outlined his vision for a church that is "synodal" at every level, with everyone listening to one another, learning from one another and taking responsibility for proclaiming the Gospel.More ...Tuesday, October 20, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- Several women participating in the Synod of Bishops on the family said they are encouraged that their views are not only respected but included in the discussions taking place.More ...Wednesday, October 14, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- Two couples attending the Synod of Bishops on the family said what surprised them most about their first synod in Rome was reading inaccurate media coverage of the closed-door proceedings, the diversity of problems families face around the world and the synod fathers' great concern and compassion for the family.More ...Tuesday, October 13, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- Just like a family, the Catholic Church should challenge members to grow and behave better, but also like a family, it should not exclude those who still have some growing to do, said Bishop George V. Murry of Youngstown, Ohio.More ...Tuesday, October 13, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- Gathered with a worldwide representation of bishops, including patriarchs and other bishops from the Middle East, Pope Francis dedicated the morning prayer of the Synod of Bishops on the family to pleas for peace in the Middle East.More ...Friday, October 9, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- Although the public is given glimpses of what happens inside the Catholic Church's world Synod of Bishops, the meetings themselves take place behind closed doors.More ...Thursday, October 8, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- As the discussion began at the world Synod of Bishops on the family, Pope Francis urged members not to act as if the only question that mattered was the pastoral care of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, his spokesman said.More ...Wednesday, October 7, 2015

PHILADELPHIA -- Cathy and Tony Witczak of St. Isaac Jogues Parish, in Wayne, Pennsylvania, were taken by surprise when they were notified Pope Francis had invited them to participate as observers at the Synod of Bishops on the family meeting in Rome through Oct. 26.More ...Wednesday, October 7, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- When a big group of people gathers to discuss something important, people start lobbying, even if that group is the world Synod of Bishops, said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia.More ...Wednesday, October 7, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- Greater emphasis on small-group discussions and incorporating that work into the synod's final draft document is helping alleviate any suspicion of the synod being manipulated, said one of the four synod presidents.More ...Wednesday, October 7, 2015

PHILADELPHIA -- Helen Alvare is a law professor at George Mason University, a consultant to the Vatican and the U.S. bishops about marriage and life issues, and has been a recognized defender of Catholic teaching on marriage and the family for many years. She also is a wife and mother.

More than 17,000 people, representing more than 100 countries gathered Sept. 22 to 25 in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, for the World Meeting of Families. The following are some highlights from the week in Philadelphia. For full stories, visit www.TrentonMonitor.com:More ...Friday, October 2, 2015

PHILADELPHIA -- The first symbol of God's creative love is when he said, "Let there be light," because light encourages good and darkness encourages evil, Cardinal Robert Sarah said at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.More ...Friday, September 25, 2015

With 17,500 pilgrims from across the world gathering in Philadelphia for a conference on why families are important, the youngest members of families haven’t been forgotten.More ...Thursday, September 24, 2015

My home, near the Italian Market in South Philadelphia, is less than a 30-minute walk to all the action of the World Meeting of Families.

As I neared the entrance to the Pennsylvania Convention Center at South 11th and Arch Streets, I could feel an energy spilling from the building and into the street.

The positivity even seemed to affect the native Philadelphians. No one was yelling. No one was walking too fast and pushing people out of the way -- everyone seemed to be on their best behavior, which is unusual for here.

For many, the Sept. 22-25 World Meeting of Families in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, is a chance to meet people from different countries and backgrounds, all in the name of strengthening family life worldwide.More ...Wednesday, September 23, 2015

VATICAN CITY -- Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, head of the Pontifical Council for the Family and lead Vatican organizer of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, has been dropped from a criminal investigation.More ...Wednesday, September 23, 2015

PHILADELPHIA -- Known as the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia will be "the city of family love" and the "world capital of families" during the four-day World Meeting of Families, said Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family.More ...Wednesday, September 23, 2015

PHILADELPHIA -- Being created in the image of God is a mission, an adventure and a command that each Catholic is called to carry out into the world and something we need to rediscover as people of faith living in today's secularized culture, said Auxiliary Bishop Robert E. Barron of Los Angeles Sept. 21.More ...Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Organizers of the World Meeting of Families, which will be held in Philadelphia next week, have announced that the annual Mass of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia honoring the lives and gifts of those with disabilities, will be celebrated during the historic program.More ...Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Organizers of the World Meeting of Families, in partnership with the Museum of the Bible, have announced that a special exhibit, “Verbum Domini II: God’s Word Goes Out to the Nations,” will be on display in Philadelphia for the gathering.More ...Thursday, August 27, 2015